


Run

by Heavydirtys0ul, things-we-used-tc-share (Heavydirtys0ul)



Series: Wasteland, Baby! [16]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 03:10:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20418935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heavydirtys0ul/pseuds/Heavydirtys0ul, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heavydirtys0ul/pseuds/things-we-used-tc-share
Summary: "It's Logan," Roman breathes deeply "He's...he's well...he's gone, I just woke up and he wasn't there,"





	1. Learn of her ancient misery

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: momentary panic, missing person (sort of, everyone knows where he is) but it's still cryptic, uh...generally scary scenes, possibly? Insinuated smut

_"Oh but the farrow know_  
_Her hungry eyes, her ancient soul_  
_It's carried by the sneering menagerie_  
  
_Know what it is to grow_  
_Beneath her sky, her punishing cold_  
_To slowly learn of her ancient misery,_

_(I need you to run to me, run to me, lover),"_

_-Run, Hozier_

* * *

Roman might've been running for half an hour or five, it's hard to tell with dimensional engineering. He runs a stressed hand through thorn-covered hair as he skids to a halt at his destination, to who his destination is. Virgil's eyes grow wide as his lover stumbles into his arms, an action uncharacteristic of him "Logan," Roman pants out through lungs filled with screaming air, poisoned by his own desperation. "Logan...he..."

"Roman, breathe," Virgil commands sternly and his partner obeys with a shallow nod, his eyes closing as he regulates his body system. Patton hands him a cup of water whilst Emile rubs the Faery's back between the blades of his back where his wings meet skin, Remy takes a seat next to his friend and looks worriedly over at him as Roman tries to pull his body back together from it's exhausted remains. "What's happened?"

"It's Logan," Roman breathes deeply "He's...he's well...he's gone, I just woke up and he wasn't there," Virgil curses under his breath softly, "Emile do you have a lunar calendar?"

"Of course, what sort of Witch do you take me for?" The doctor scoffed lightly, moving away to rummage through his belongings. "It's a full moon tonight if that's what you're asking, blood moon too," Roman rests his head on his hand "You didn't keep track did you, love?" Patton looks between them with a confused expression as Roman looks mildly pissed off and whether that be with himself or something else, they can't quite decipher until the Prince is standing with an exhausted look on his face. It's a measly price to pay he knows, for love, but still, there's nothing quite as haunting as waking up knowing you went to sleep with someone only for them to have abandoned you by morning. "It's not his fault, he goes when the water calls him the way you wander off in Spring and by the time Summer's come you've grown a new personality," Emile teases lightly, rubbing his back "I'll pack you some things,"

"What's...happening?" Patton asked slowly. 

"Faeries are tied to the part of their nature that is most innate within them," Remy sips his own water "All the tides on the Earth are controlled by the moon, the way that we, Witches revere nature, Water Fae, revere the moon, it's akin to their God or Goddess," He hands his cup to Patton to finish "Only the phases of the moon are kind of embedded in a Water Faery's DNA, it's sort of like a biological code that changes who they are for a full twenty-four hours before the full moon and twenty-four hours after the moon has lost it's power," 

"That sounds stressful," 

"It is," Roman mutters, now helping Emile pack some stuff into a bag. "Being called by your element it...it stops who you are for a certain amount of time, you are your function and your most basic and primal self," He pauses, to look back at Patton, for once a genuinely serious expression on his face "Your personality is drained from you and you are a slave to what you were created to do, for me that is fairly simple but it lasts so long that when I come out the other side I'm generally not the same person I was when I went into it," His gaze looks away from Patton's soft and worried eyes "For Logan it's only going to be a short run, but his purpose is much more...deadly, he's made for two things; fuck, and kill," He slams something particularly hard into the bag "Which is why you're staying here,"

"But.."

"No," Roman said firmly, so sharply that Patton physically recoils, the prince's expression softens at the startled expression "He won't see you, Patton, he's not Logan right now, he's a Siren and not much else, and he wouldn't _want_ you to see him like that," Virgil squeezes Patton's shoulder gently, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. 

"Roman's right," He agrees gently, as Remy and Emile give sympathetic nods to the young man who looks like he wants to protest to every end of the Earth until he gets his way. Yet he knows, instinctually, that this time Roman will not be swayed on the matter. "Roman will be fine and safe, but you don't really have many chances of coming out alive," Patton leans back against one of his boyfriend's with an uncharacteristically solemn look on his face before he nods slowly, silently accepting his fate to remain here. "I'm also going to stay here," Roman looks up at him sharply, eyebrows furrowing a little. "I'm not going to be much help, I'm pretty sure I'll make it worse," He nods up to the roof or more particularly, what's beyond it. The last thing they're going to need is Virgil panicking and creating _more_ water.

"I'll go," Remy offers nonchalantly "Sirens hate fire, if we need to keep him contained I can do that pretty effectively,"

"Absolutely not," Virgil says sternly.

"Sure," Roman shrugs at the exact same time. There's an awkward pause as Remy picks fruit out of the fruit bowl, looking between them like he's watching his parents about to get in a row; and like any kid, he has a sly and amused grin on his face, throwing a grape into his mouth as he leans back in the chair. "I mean, he's a pyro, right? He's basically got a built-in defense mechanism against Water Fae," Virgil's eyes narrow and he opens his mouth to speak, to ask Roman what the fuck is he _thinking? _

"Well, it seems we've reached a tie, Patton, what do you think?" Remy interjects. All eyes look at Patton who swallows nervously, looking between the horned Witch that is giving him a look that embodies thunder, and then Roman's quirked eyebrows. He raises his hand in a surrender motion, slides off the chair and trails over to Emile to help him fiddle with some things in the cupboard.

"I think I'm going to not have an opinion," He calls over his shoulder. Remy giggles lightly. Virgil sighs, big brother or not it'd take an army to stop Remy from doing something he wants to do. He waves a dismissive hand and Remy grins, bouncing to his feet with a bundle of grapes in his hand. 

"Come back alive or I swear to God I'll kill you," Virgil warns, giving Remy a hug. His little brother only laughs lightly, which is basically their way of saying 'I love you' and 'I love you too,' the world might crack open if they ever dared to actually say those words too often, as brothers often are together especially when one of the brothers is Remy who'd never dared to tell someone how he truly feels. Emile is working on that stone heart as well as he can, but even now all the Hummingbird Witch gets is a smile and a blown kiss, and a sigh escapes him as the door closes. 

_"Men,"_ He mutters under his breath as he turns back to his work, Patton snorts in agreement. Virgil doesn't say much at all. 

\--

Remy and Roman had been walking for an hour, the prince looks a little out of it and Remy knows self-loathing when he sees it enough to speak. "It's not your fault Roman, people lose track of the time often, even Logan must have or he would've warned you," But, he doubts that's the case, it's more likely Logan doesn't _want_ Roman to be with him right now. Hell, Remy remembers the first time he saw Roman during spring, people don't forget something like that. He'd been almost out of words, growling instead of speaking and his eyes...just the thought made the young witch shiver. His eyes had been red, no white and no pupil just a simple, bloody red. He'd also not been aggressive, but he'd been extremely needy; Remy can relate, when his...he hates calling them "heats" but that is essentially what they are, hit, he tends to hide away under sixty different blankets and sweat it out or invite someone he trusts home. Remy had to untangle the Faery from him long enough to carry him to Virgil. He'd left the two to it, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what they did to calm him down if the flowers that suffocated the house were anything to go by.

Afterward, Roman disappeared for two months and when he came back he looked so tired but couldn't remember why.

"I told him I'd be there for him, that I'd help him through it, that he didn't have to go through this alone, not this time...and then I _forgot_, Remy," Remy sighs, unsure what to say or what to do, he's barely good at comforting himself nevermind other people. His go-to advice for all of his problems is 'fuck it out'. He gives Roman a slightly helpless look "Okay, are you sure you can handle it?" He asks as he can see the water in the distance "If not now is your last chance to turn around," Remy snorts a little as if he's going to turn around as _if_ he has any sort of self-preservation skills. 

(He has a total of _zero_ self-preservation skills if that)

He stares out at the water, it ripples strangely and a cold feeling runs over him, followed by a flush of warmth as hypnotic singing fills his ears. "I didn't think about that," He mutters, plugging his ears the moment he feels the tug. "I think it's just hit me that I could actually die," Roman snorts and shakes his head, in some ways Remy and Virgil are quite similar; their lack of understanding the gravity of situations until the very last moment may be one of them. "Alright, let's capture a Siren," He mutters, eyes flashing a golden color as the outside of the water encircles in a wall of fire. Roman nods as Remy leaves a gap for him to walk through. 

"Walk back up to the bank, you'll be safer up there," The Faery muttered softly. "I don't know how long I'm going to be," He says softly "If it gets dark, go home, the fireflies will guide you," Remy should protest, but he knows better than to argue with Roman when he's being serious. He nods instead and closes the gap after the prince has walked through it, withdrawing back towards the bank as he works on keeping the fire contained.

And then, well, he has nothing to do but wait.


	2. Run to me, lover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything will be just fine.

Roman waits with bated breath, shirt discarded as he wades into the water. Everything seems to fall still for a moment, too still. The tides of the water seem empty, the reflection of the surface as sheer as glass as the Faery prince swallows nervously, hands shaking by his side. There's no turning back now. He senses something brush against his leg and stays as still as he can before in one swift moment he's being dragged under the surface. Roman holds his breath as he stares wide-eyed at the Siren, whose eyes were almost haunting in his current state. 

He lets Logan touch him, hands running over his bare chest, studying him, trying to see if he was a threat. He can almost see the cogs turning in his brain and Roman wonders if he recognizes him at all. Then Logan pulls back and he floats to the surface as the Siren rises with him, his eyes white and harsh as he bares his sharp teeth with a ferocity that tells Roman he's in for a rough day and night. But he's long since excepted that as he gives a small smile "It's okay Logan, you're safe," Logan recognizes his own name as he blinks, head tilted, and Roman sees a flash in his eyes that tells him he recognizes him no matter how numbly that may be. He hisses a little and Roman feels his heart shatter, seeing someone he loves barely able to understand who he is, or who Roman is. Logan steps forward, looking ready to attack, to do what he was made to do; to destroy, to hurt, to _kill_. Roman is currently an intruder in his territory, but there's muscle memory to his own soul as it tries desperately to remember who Roman _is_.

Instead, he reaches out, Logan's nails press against the prince's chest, running down over his skin, but there's something conflicting him. He knows this is Roman, he just can't remember who _Roman_ is, either way, his body is screaming that he is safe, that he isn't an intruder but a friend. Even if somewhere in Logan's instincts he is screaming to do his job and protect himself, something in the slow thudding of his heart reminds him _"friend,"_

The water laps around them, cold and blue as it presses against their skin, Logan's scales shimmer with the droplets and the late morning sunlight as it wraps them both in its blessed shine. Roman can barely breathe as Logan's hand run-up to his neck, tracing a vein before he seems to reach a conclusion the moment he feels the Faery's heartbeat thudding. Logan's shoulders sag and he pulls Roman into a warm kiss, their feet scrambling against the cold bottom of the lake as the Siren pulls the other man closer. He needs to _feed_, he needs **_Roman_**.

Roman accepts this with a sigh of relief, allowing himself to be dragged to shallower water before he's being pushed down into the waves in a place he can breathe, and the Siren descends upon him like a hunter to his prey. 

\--

"Virgil if you pace any further you're going to wear holes into the carpet," Patton says softly, his hands resting on his partner's arms "Virgil? Love? Can you look at me?" The Witch looks exhausted as he meets Patton's eyes. Emile had taken to sitting down and doodling on some paper to calm his mind, but Virgil appeared to be doing enough worrying for all three of them. "They'll be okay, Roman knows what he's doing, everything's going to be fine, I promise you," He hates making promises, but he believes in Roman enough to make this one as he squeezes the elder's hands softly in his own. 

"Patton's right," Emile says softly, tapping the table by invitation for them to sit down "Besides, a Siren is not enough to kill them, they're both too stubborn to die," Virgil chuckles lightly at that, yes that is quite right. Patton is fidgeting a little, in a quiet way so neither of them notices even though his mind is racing to proportions he hadn't thought himself capable of experiencing. In the days of soft romance, he had managed to forget that Logan is one of the deadliest creations Mother Nature had thought to create. He recalls stories from when he was a child of Siren's, how they would lure sailors to their death with their deepest desire. Now he wonders if he is following that same route, he can't help the little bit of anxiety that plagues him as he thinks long and hard. 

"I'm scared," He finally admits "Not, for them...I know they'll be okay I can feel it," Like it's embedded in the pressure of the wind or like the clouds themselves had told him, he knows they will be okay. "I'm scared of Logan, I think I just...what if it's all a trick?" He feels awful for even airing it as Virgil stiffens and Emile's face softens before leaning over to squeeze the Human's hands gently. 

"Patton, it's not a trick, Logan loves you and would never intentionally hurt any of you," Emile says softly "If he didn't he wouldn't have stayed here, Logan doesn't need to be tied by places or people, Sirens mostly live in solitary, not in communities, he's lived his entire life alone but decided you were all enough to make him stay," Patton nods slowly, it makes sense, it's not as though Logan could attack them even if he had reason too...Roman is a prince and the Witches aren't as hypnotized by his voice as a Human may be. He breathes a slow sigh of relief a Virgil wraps an arm around his partner's shoulder and holds him close. Everything would be alright, he's sure of it, they're all sure of it. 

Hopefully.

\--

As the night started to descend, Remy looks up at the moon and nods. It's time for him to turn back, the woods this far out isn't safe for him to be alone in at night and Roman seems to have everything under control as he stands and heads through the trees. As promised, the fireflies descend around him and he greets them politely. As politely as someone speaking English can to sentient beings that communicate mostly through gesture anyway. They lead him through the forest trees as the seasons begin to form around them until he's met with the unsettling feeling of being watched. 

The Witch freezes in place, his secondary pair of ears pricking as he searches through the noise. He switches his glamour back to its normal state so he can use the benefits of having cat eyes. He's not quite liking his chances once his gaze zones in on a figure that looks too eerie to have much good intent, it's gaze sharp and teeth made for one thing and one thing only; meat. Specifically, right now, his. 

_Run_.

Remy had gone a long few years of his life without ever having to encounter a Winter Faery, he'd hoped he'd live out his ageless immortality without ever having too as his feet pressed to the dirt and the man runs until his lungs are screaming. His body aches quickly, and he has to do the mental calculations in his head, if he shifts now he can run faster and be more agile but he won't be able to use his powers. With the creature gaining on him he makes his decision firmly and jumps forward, shifting into his cat form as he sprints away.

_Emile, I'm so sorry,_ he thinks to himself, praying that he'll make it. He doesn't want to die and he _really_ does _not_ want to be cannibalized by a hungry Faery for food. He wants his partner, his best friend, he wants to hug him; he'd known being out here would be dangerous why did he let his stupid pride get in the way? Why didn't he give Emile a hug? Isn't now a little bit too late to start panicking over vulnerability? Remy runs, he runs as fast and far as he can go but he's tiring.

The wind runs through him and the sky feels darker than ever as the trees make a canopy of woven bare branches, that shrouds everything in unsettling darkness. The leaves whisper and warn him, they scream for him to get to safety but he has no safety that is near enough. If he can make it out of Winter territory and get to Autumn he should find some safety there until the morning, even if he doesn't want to cause a fuss amongst the quietest and uptight of Faeries in the world. He notes with relief, under the starvation of his muscles, that the trees were starting to grow leaves again in gold and brown and a deep, fiery orange._ Last run, Remy, you can do it, for Emile, for Virgil, you can do it_. He scrambles over the threshold and hears not just the one, but a few voices muttering in disappointment. He sits at the boundary stone and watches several snarling Faeries retreat back into their own territory.

Then there's silence. The sound of the wind, the chirping of crickets and the quiet sounds of nature at night. Remy shifts back to his normal self and collapses back into the dirt. There he lies, breathing heavily as he watches the moon shine down on them all, full and bright and _beautiful_. Exhaling sharply through his nose, the Witch sits up and stares at his feet supposing there is naught else to do but wait.

A crack of a twig under footsteps has him darting to his feet before a hand wraps around his forearm, preventing him from falling backward. "Pardon," The stranger says softly "I did not mean to startle you, we simply do not get many visitors and I was curious over the noise, you Witches tend to be rather heavy-footed," Remy blinks and nods as he stares into golden-brown eyes, allowing his arm to fall from the stranger's grip "You look a little petrified, did the Winter Fae try to make a meal of you?"

"I...yes...I had forgotten to leave before the sun starts to set," Remy explained, cheeks flushing a little "It was a rookie mistake really," The Faery nods in agreement, not unkindly but well, Remy knows he's an idiot on a good day and these creatures are supposedly the most eloquent and slyest, if not quietest, Faeries to exist. He really knows how to make a lasting impression at least, as he offers a weak smile and runs a hand through his hair. "Who are you?"

"Damian, but most people just refer to me as 'Dee'" He offers a small smile and waves a hand "Would you like to reside here until morning, I'm sure I can keep you company," Remy nods slowly as he takes the Faeries hand "Now, what might your name be?" Remy hesitates.

"My friends call me Rem," He says softly. Dee chuckles and nods. 

"Very good, at least you're not making any _more_ rookie mistakes today, come, I'll get you some cocoa,"


	3. To be twisted by something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exhaustion.

Virgil looks panicked when he sees Remy, his hands pressing to his brother's face then arms as if checking for wounds as though Remy would still be standing if he had any, before pulling his brother into a tired hug. He looks as though he hadn't slept all night and the younger of the brothers has the decency to feel half bad. Then Virgil pulls away to look up at the Faery who was accompanying him. "Where's Roman?" He asks softly. 

"He told me to head home before the sun sets," Remy explains "But he seemed to have everything under control, he's just tiring Logan out...or well...Logan's definitely tiring him out," He chuckles lowly "They seemed to be getting along just _fine_ when I left," He gives a little wink and Virgil gives a relieved sigh, before his attention goes to the newcomer, who is dressed as Roman might but in colors that are distinctively Autumn, gold and black with little chains hanging from his fingers, attached to rings. The stranger has a crown of leaves on his head amongst brown hair and eyes the color of an early sunrise over a desert; gold and honey, but brown in the right light. There's a deep scar that runs over his eye and it perturbs the Witch a little, Faeries don't ten to get scars unless something really did a number on them. Nonetheless, Virgil doesn't know who this is, but he knows _who_ he is...or rather_ what_. 

"Do you two just have a habit of picking up attractive Faery princes? Was I born into the wrong family?" Emile mutters, rubbing his temple a little "May I offer you a drink?" He smiles up at the tall prince "I'm sure you both have a lot of stories to tell," Dee laughs, a cool sound that seems to conjure the image of a leaf blowing in the breeze, as he nods, Emile knows he should be jealous of the soft smile on Remy's face (Really he should) but honestly he's not good at being jealous and this man is literally dripping gold like it's his birthright, and not in an arrogant way, it really does suit him.

"I would be delighted," He replies gently "But there is not much of a tale to tell I'm rather afraid, he simply has a bad time gauging when is an appropriate time to walk through Winter Territory and stumbled over our boundary looking like Hell itself had opened and was on his heels," Virgil frowns at Remy before giving him a firm clip over the ear, the younger grins meekly, shrugging in response "The big brother I presume?" Virgil nods and scratches the back of his head "You're going to want to put this one on a leash," There's a quiet chuckle that runs through them all as Emile ushers them into his home. 

"Many have tried and all have failed," The elder of the brothers explains with a look on his face that would be fondness if he wasn't too exhausted to be _fond_ of his little brother right now. Dee nods as if a night with Remy had explained that to him in a nutshell, not in an intimately familiar way, just in a way that suggests Remy does not shut up ever, although Dee had actually started to enjoy the way the boy rambles. Not an easy feat for sure.

"I suppose now we just wait for Roman and Logan to come back," Emile sighs, placing cups of tea down in front of everyone before taking a seat. A small silence hangs over them, wondering if they would be waiting forever.

\--

Exactly twenty-four hours after the full moon, Logan stirs with a groan as he cracks his back and blinks up at the sky. His movement stirs an exhausted Faery prince whose hair is sticking up in every which direction and is adorned with healing claw marks over his skin. "This puts a whole new meaning into 'rough night'," The elder groans as he shifts to sit up, fingertips ghosting the healing wounds, "I think you might've actually given me scars Lo," Logan looks somewhere between sheepish and horrified as he surveys the damage "Really did a number on me," But then Roman grins a tired sort of grin that's so full of warmth and Logan's worry eases it "I've got to say I enjoyed it," The Siren rolls his eyes at his hypersexual boyfriend and shoves him weakly. 

"I cannot feel most of my body," Logan mutters, his wings drooping in an inability to keep them upright, he folds them neatly as his fingertips press to the aching parts of his muscles. 

"There was a lot happening at once," Roman clarifies "So I wish I could tell you precisely what happened but I think I passed out somewhere along the line," He snorts "It's quite an experience waking up to that," 

"Roman..."  
"Don't," The prince mutters softly "We've had this conversation, Logan, and I told you I wouldn't come if I wasn't a hundred percent prepared for everything and anything, honestly I wasn't sure if you'd kill me on sight so as far as things go, I'd say I'm in a particularly cheerful mood, but craving a good night's sleep," He presses a soft kiss to the Siren's lips and brushes a gentle hand over his cheek "Now, lets get some clothes on and get home before Virgil does the killing on sight situation for us," He stands up and holds out a hand to help the other up. Logan feels a little dazed trying to compute a kindness he'd never seen on someone's face after seeing him like that.

"You are such an..._idiot_ Roman," There's a look of sheer awe on his face.

"I love you too," Logan laughs under his breath and takes the clothes he's offered over his cold and wet skin. 

\--

The moment the two trail into the little village, Patton is flinging himself into their arms, Logan stumbles a little trying to keep his balance as he offers a weak smile. "We have company," Virgil says softly between soft kisses to Roman's lips, his fingertips tracing a scar visible over his collarbone "Fucking hell," He whispers, eyes wide with what could be marvel as he looks over at Logan, who blushes at the intense gaze he's now fixated with. "Someone finally _broke_ Roman," He snorts, looking at the sheer amount of out of it the prince currently is, exhausted and wincing at every movement. "I don't know if I should be hitting you or kissing you right now Logan,"

"Kiss him," Roman waves a dismissive hand as Patton leads him to Emile's home. "Whose the company?" He asks, just as he's pushing the door open to freeze in the doorway, eyebrows raised "Oh," He says simply, nodding "Right," He gives a small smile "Damian, lovely although _unexpected_ to see you old friend," Dee stands with a smile, offering his arms wide as a hug which Roman slips easily into, exchanging a quick kiss to the cheek. "What brings you out of your burrow on this lukewarm day?" Emile sets about making some coffee in the background as everyone seats themselves and Logan curls up in a homely fashion in Virgil's lap. 

"Your friend almost got eaten alive," Roman sighs as he looks over at Remy with an expression that reminds the young Witch of a father disappointed in his child "He is safe now, however, so...no unease, although perhaps don't send someone so dainty out into the woods when they have such _terrible_ timekeeping skills," Remy pouts in the background as Emile squeezes his shoulder in passing, placing two cups of coffee down with fluid ease for someone carrying two hot cups of ceramic in one hand. "But I thought I should keep myself around to see you when you finally draw your..." He gestures to Logan "Back home,"

"Partner," Roman adds curtly. "One of the three,"

"So I'm told," Dee continues "It's good to see you so cheerful," Patton looks between the two old souls with an eerie feeling of familiarity like he'd seen this before or been here before, somehow. Also, Roman is nothing short of cheerful on every occasion, why would that come as a surprise to anyone? There's a sincerity behind the awkwardness of the way he looks over at Logan and Patton. He truly is happy at least, to see Roman happy, but there's a silent judgment in the way his eyes flicker over the tired Siren and then something much more studious in his eyes as he stares through Patton and right into his soul. The Human shifts uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact. "Would you see me out? I should be getting back home, too much time outside and I start to get a headache," Roman laughs under his breath and nods. Dee takes Remy's hand and presses a kiss to the back of it, "And I hope to see you under much less stressful circumstances," He gives a grin and Remy looks like someone had just punched him as he nods, speechless. 

Emile giggles at his boyfriend, hiding his smile behind his hand as he shakes his head, the two Faery princes make their way outside. 

"Roman, are you sure this is wise?" Dee asks hurriedly once they're outside in the quiet "Of course, you know I trust your judgement...but a S_iren?_" He hisses quietly "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Roman shakes his head slowly, giving Damian a tired look that said he wasn't in the mood. "Just...be careful, okay?" He sighs a little "And that Human of yours there's something odd about him, I'd keep your eye on him, but I'd assume your little Witch would have noted if there was something of threat so just...be aware," This is not the first time someone has noted something strange about Patton, so he nods. "All the best," The taller presses a kiss to Roman's forehead. 

"You too," Roman replies in a noncommittal way, looking like he could sleep for a year.

He gets into Emile's house, wanders over to the bed and promptly passes out onto it. About five minutes later, Logan joins him as he curls up beside him like a small animal next to his only guardian. "They're cute," Emile comments with a soft hum, pressing a kiss to Remy's cheek "Although I don't know when my house became a hotel for wayward young men," He scolds playfully, skirt swishing around him as he stands to collect the empty cups that remained; Remy steals Roman's untouched cup and starts to sip the coffee inside it. "Well it's good to see they're both in one piece," He smiles over at the two with a sigh "I was starting to worry,"

"Do you ever second guess it?" Virgil asks softly "Logan? His intentions, you seemed very confident before," Emile shakes his head. 

"I see the best in everyone Virgil, it's my day job," He shrugs a little "I know when people are good and when people are bad, call it intuition if you like and I've never been wrong before," He runs the water to fill up the sink, placing the cups into the metal basin. "Logan is not bad, he was scary to look at, at first but I'm getting used to it now, he's kind of endearing once you get past the teeth," Virgil's eyebrows furrow, his lips parted to talk as Remy turns back to stare at his partner. Patton looks over at Logan instead, Logan's got pretty standard Fae teeth..sharp canines and a little on the pointy side but not all that different from Roman. 

"You can...see him?" It's Emile's turn to look confused, holding a cup in his head as he looks back at the sleeping Logan, then at Virgil with an expression that said 'of course' "As in you can see...the Siren, not...an image of what you desire?" 

"Does everyone see Logan differently?" Patton queries gently, but his question is put on the backburner as suddenly Emile's expression turns hard, tea towel in one hand and a coffee cup in the other; looking as sweet as daisies are fresh except for that suddenly very scary expression. Patton swallows nervously as both the cup and the towel are placed on top and Emile folds his arms, advancing. His shoulders relax backward and his wings flutter in irritation, and it's strange how such simple movements can suddenly change an entire person. 

"You don't?" He speaks firmly, and Virgil shakes his head with his lips pressed in a firm line. "You mean to tell me, he's your partner, someone you've committed to loving and you can't even get past stage one?" He growls lightly "Are you that scared of someone who isn't conventionally attractive that you deny your own lover the simple pleasure of being seen as they are? You just keep pushing that barrier up?" Patton fidgets, feeling a little guilty and Emile's face softens "Not you Patton, you don't get a choice in the matter, Virgil does, Virgil has magic and he can choose to see Logan the way Logan is but instead, he makes his own partner feel _ashamed_ of himself," Emile shakes his head and whirls around quickly whilst rubbing his temple in a way that indicated he's stressed. "Can Roman see Logan? The real Logan I mean?" Virgil nods slowly "You want to know why I can see him, Virgil?" The silence speaks volumes "Because I'm not scared of him, because I trust him, so what does that say about you?"

"Emile I..." 

"Save it, I'm not the one who deserves the apology, I'm not the one that has to live knowing someone who loves me would rather have a mirage of me than myself," He turns back to do the dishes and Remy sips his coffee awkwardly. Patton exhales steadily as the silence becomes so tense a knife could cut through it with some effort. This was the first time he's seen Emile lose his temper and by the way the brothers shift uncomfortably it seemed to be something that doesn't occur often. He supposes that Emile feels a lot of emotions in this job he has built for himself, he shouldn't have assumed he is always so happy when you heal people who have been hurt; he shouldn't have assumed he was anything less than a multi-dimensional person who could lose their temper. But it still leaves unease in him, so he stands up and wanders over, taking the cup from Emile's shaking hands and places it back in the sink, offering him a hug. 

The Witch sighs a little but falls into his friend's arms with a heavy feeling in his chest. "I'm sorry I'm just tired," He mutters, Patton nods silently in response "I didn't mean to lose my temper it just really upset me," He sniffles a little as he shakes his head "He's already been through enough Virgil, you shouldn't make him lie to you for you to love him," He's right and Virgil knows he's right. But it doesn't take away Virgil's fear, either way, he's scared that Logan will scare him, that everything will change. That's just the elder Witch in a nutshell; afraid, _always_ afraid. 

Patton shifts a little from one foot to another as he pulls away, looking down at his feet "I wish I could see him, but everyone's telling me I can't, that I shouldn't," 

"If you can't see him it's because he doesn't want you too," Remy explains, finally speaking as he breathes gently "With us, it's different, you can't hide magic from someone who has magic unless you yourself don't know that you have magic...like Changelings that have never been exposed to magic, for example," Patton looks up with interest, his head tilting to the side. "A lot of magic lies dormant until it's given a trigger," The younger Witch explains "It's a defense mechanism where the magic assimilates with its surroundings until it knows it is safe or if the host is in danger, most Changelings don't realize what they are until they're on their death bed and then they have a high chance of survival because their body starts healing itself," He shrugs "But you don't have magic, so you don't get to just see through a glamour or mirage, we do...we can choose to see what we want to see or the truth, whilst you have to wait until Logan is ready,"

Patton can't help the look on his face when he meets Virgil's eyes, conflicted and worried and unsure "I think you're just putting off the inevitable Virgil," He says softly, with more kindness than Emile had thought to use "Eventually you're going to see him whether you want to or not, maybe it'll be easier to rip the bandaid off," He sighs "But if you're not ready, then you're not ready," He says firmly, nodding "And that's okay too, after all, I can't force Logan to let me see how he is..._who_ he is, and I can't force you to want to see him either, we all have to go at our own speeds,"

Virgil nods slowly, looking so small despite being so tall. Remy swallows the last of the coffee and clears his throat, wandering over to Emile to whisper something in his ear, hands resting on his hips. "We're just going to go and check on mum, so you lot can have some time to yourselves," He aired after Emile has nodded in agreement. The two trail out of the door, leaving only the freshly washed cups behind to say that they'd been there in the first place, as silence descends on the room. Virgil's eyes close and he takes a deep breath. Patton looks away with a feeling in his heart that he can't identify; maybe it's the idea of being the only one left who can't see the man he's supposed to love, as who he is. Maybe that idea is heartbreaking and maybe he feels like he's betraying Logan. Maybe, he's blaming himself for something out of his control, and maybe that's only because he can't blame Logan for being scared of himself when everyone has spent his entire life telling him he's something to be feared. 

The Witch sits down on the floor and stares at Logan's face. He swallows dryly and closes his eyes. "You don't have to do this," Patton muttered, "You shouldn't feel guilted into..." Virgil holds up a hand for silence and Patton watches him, falling silent. Virgil blinks his eyes open slowly, hesitantly and he stares for a long time before there's a short laugh on his lips, his eyebrows raised slightly with a soft look on his face. His hand drifts, brushing over the side of his face like he's tracing something that Patton cannot see, a smile that's so dazed and so loving that Patton can't hold back the tears in his eyes. 

"He's...different than what I had expected," Virgil says softly "Half-Demon, half-Fae," And he exhales like there's something heavy on his soul "I get it now," He shakes his head "I get it," He looks up at Patton "I'm sorry, you probably feel left out," He holds out his arms and Patton sits in his lap. "He's...pretty," He eyes go back to Logan "A little sharp, but pretty," Patton rubs his eyes and buries his face in Virgil's neck as the Witch wraps his arms around him. "You'll love him when you get the chance I promise, Patton, try not to worry your head too much, just enjoy the part of him you've got now," 

Patton nods and sighs like he doesn't have much room to argue. He doesn't, really, what can he do? No, there's no room to argue at all.


End file.
